Patrolling the Seireitei at Sunset
by Bananas and Opium
Summary: Yumichika and Ikkaku get drafted to do the evening patrol. One-shot. IkkaYumi. Fluffy shonen-ai cuteness.


**First oneshot involving these two. I usually write a lot darker stuff, so I hope this isn't too bad. Cute, shonen-ai goodness. Gosh, I love them. Rated T for Ikkaku's dirty mouth. Shame on him. . The music is from The Atheist Christmas Carol by Vienna Teng.**

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><p><em>It's the season of grace coming out of the void<em>

_Where a man is saved by a voice in the distance_

_It's the season of possible miracle cures_

_Where hope is currency and death is not the last unknown_

_Where time begins to fade_

_And age is welcome home_

_It's the season of eyes meeting over the noise_

_And holding fast with sharp realization_

_It's the season of cold making warmth a divine intervention_

_You are safe here you know now_

_Don't forget_

_Don't forget I love_

_I love_

_I love you_

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><p>Yumichika bounced from one end of the room to the other and grabbed his partner and best friend by the sleeve of his shinigami robes. His eyes were bright with enthusiasm, his hair fixed just perfectly, and a happy smile on his face. His partner didn't seem as enthusiastic, and sat lopsided in a chair in the corner with one hand on his sword and the other draped across the back of the chair. He raised an eyebrow at the pretty-boy shinigami who was tugging on his arm.<p>

"Why are you so enthusiastic, Yumichika?" he asked irritatedly. "We shouldn't have to be doing this. We're the third and fifth seat of the eleventh division, why are we having to do patrol? Stupid Kurotsuchi, passing this off on us. It's his damn job to send grunts around to patrol, so why did he pass it off on us?"

Yumichika just shrugged. "Think of it as an opportunity to see the Seireitei at sunset," he said. "It's beautiful, Ikkaku. There'll be no one out to harrass us, and we all know there's nothing wrong for us to fret over, so let's just go out and watch the sunset!"

This seemed to irritate Ikkaku even more. "I don't wanna watch the damn sunset, especially not with you!" As soon as he'd said it, he immediately felt bad. "Shit, I'm sorry, Yumichika, I didn't mean it like that..." Yumichika didn't seem to be phased by it at all.

"You think the sunset might be more beautiful than me, so you wouldn't be able to focus on it, don't you?" he laughed. "I know I'm beautiful, but you don't have to exaggerate." He giggled and laughed.

"Whatever you say, Yumichika."

Yumichika pulled on his sleeve and put on his best puppy dog face. "Please, Ikkaku? Please?"

Ikkaku sighed. "Let's just go, since you seem so intent upon doing that."

"Great!" Yumichika jumped up with a smile and walked out the door in the most beautiful way he could possibly manage. To Ikkaku's releif, he didn't notice the blush that seemed to be spreading to his partner's cheeks.

They walked down the streets of the Seireitei, Yumichika's eyes drifting back and forth between the sky and Ikkaku. Yes, he knew that he was falling for the third seat of his division, but he didn't want to say anything yet. This _was _his best friend, after all, and he was dreadfully scared of ruining the friendship that the two of them shared. Yes, he realized that recently he'd been trying oh-so-much harder to fix his hair just right and make himself look even more beautiful-for Ikkaku.

They continued to walk uneventfully up and down rows of buildings, the Seireitei as quiet as normal, just like it was before the war. Other than Ikkaku and Yumichika, everyone seemed to be inside. No one was outside to bother them.

"Let's go sit somewhere and watch the sunset. I don't want to walk. I'll hurt my feet." Yumichika jumped up onto a crate and climbed onto the roof of one of the many seemingly random buildings. Ikkaku hesitantly followed. The fifth seat sat down on a box and looked out at the setting sun, watching it fascinatingly. The colors blended together perfectly, shades of red, purple, orange, and, towards the edges, even began to turn shades of green and blue. Clouds dotted the scenery, clouds that caught the light and turned brilliant shades of pink and red. It was a beautiful sunset.

"What about that sunset fascinates you so much, Yumichika?" asked Ikkaku, who was seated on another box. He was watching the way his partner stared intently at the colors of the sky over Soul Society, the same skies the shinigami had watched for ages. Yumichika turned towards his partner and smiled, his hair catching the light and, again, looking particularly beautiful. He didn't seem to notice the blush that had spread back to Ikkaku's cheeks. _Damn, _the third seat thought. _I'm not like this, this is stupid. Stop freaking out. You aren't like this, you're in the eleventh squad. You're tough...right? _Ikkaku, too, was developing feelings for his partner, feelings that seemed to come out in the strangest of ways. The way Yumichika's hair shone in the light, the way his eyes sparkled, and the way the raven-haired shinigami looked at him...he had to shake his head to snap himself out of it.

"I like the sunset because it's beautiful," Yumichika said quietly, strangely out of character. "I wanna be just like the sunset. It's so beautiful...I wish I could become the sunset..." He sighed and looked off at the setting sun, his fists closed tightly in his lap. "I've spent many nights sitting on top of these buildings, watching the sunsets, and wishing...wanting..."

His partner smiled. His friend's feelings didn't really surprise him. Yumichika _was_ always talking about how beautiful he was.

"But no one else thinks I'm beautiful," Yumichika continued. "They all hate me. I try so hard, don't I? To impress people." He found himself choking back tears. "I hate it so much. I want people to like me...I want to be loved...no one knows how hard I try. To impress them, to even impress myself." Ikkaku's eyes widened a bit; he had no idea his friend had feelings like that pent up inside him.

"But it's too hard," the raven-haired shinigami continued, finding himself unable to keep from shedding a few tears. _He even cries beautifully..._ Ikkaku found himself thinking. "No one cares about me, no one wants a shinigami like me. No one wants anything to do with a stupid, pretty-boy soul reaper who doesn't care about anything but his looks. But I'm doing it for them! I'm trying my hardest to impress a group of people who just don't care."

Without meaning to, Ikkaku found himself standing up. Yumichika looked up at him, tears still streaming down his cheeks, and the most innocent look on his face. The blush returned to his Ikkaku's cheeks.

"Ikkaku, what are you doing?" Yumichika asked with a sniffle.

"Stop saying those things, Yumichika. Please. Not everyone thinks that about you." Seeing the pain in Yumichika's eyes as he poured his feelings out was hard for him.

"Who, then, Ikkaku?" Yumichika demanded.

Ikkaku found himself walking towards Yumichika and pulling him to his feet. He looked the other soul reaper in the eyes and then, blushing, looked down. "I don't, Yumichika. In fact," he grabbed his partner's hand, "I think you're..." he blushed. "I mean, um.. I think you're beautiful."

"Wait...Ikkaku?" Yumichika blushed, his thoughts scrambling. _What do I do, what do I do? Ikkaku..._

"Yumichika...I think I should tell you this," Ikkaku found himself saying. "I think...I think I," he gulped, "I think I like you. As in...as in, more than just my best friend." There was that blush again, and now Yumichika had one just like it. Their blushes deepened when they realized exactly how close they were to each other...and the fact that Ikkaku was still holding Yumichika's hand.

"Ikkaku..." Yumichika whispered. Ikkaku whispered for him to be quiet and wiped the tears from the fifth seat's cheeks. Yumichika looked down and took Ikkaku's hands, then looked back up at him with a slight smile. "Thank you."

In the next moment, Ikkaku found himself gently leaning forward and pressing his lips into Yumichika's. He pulled away after a moment and looked into the eyes of the shocked, blushing soul reaper he'd just kissed. Yumichika let go of Ikkaku's hands and threw his arms around the taller shinigami, pulling him into a tight hug.

"I've waited so long for that," said Ikkaku. "Yumichika, I'm sorry. Don't let the shit people say get to you, okay?" _God, this isn't like me, _he thought, _but... _He sighed and ran his fingers through Yumichika's hair.

"Let's watch the sunset together, okay?" Yumichika said. He let go of Ikkaku and sat back down on a box, making room for the other to sit next to him.

"Come on, sit down," Yumichika said. "Please?" Ikkaku sighed and took his seat on the box next to Yumichika. The sun was getting closer to setting, and the colors were getting darker."

"It's so pretty," said Yumichika. "The colors are so vibrant..." He put his head on Ikkaku's shoulder, his eyes glued to the brilliant sky over Soul Society.

Ikkaku gently put his arm around Yumichika, whispering, "Does this mean we're...together, Yumichika?"

"If you want that, then yes," said Yumichika, snuggling into Ikkaku's side. "Forever...if you want."

"I think I do. Forever."

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><p><em>It's the season of scars and of wounds in the heart<em>

_Of feeling the full weight of our burdens_

_It's the season of bowing our heads in the wind_

_And knowing we are not alone in fear_

_Not alone in the dark_

_Don't forget_

_Don't forget I love_

_I love_

_I love you_

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><p><strong>If you read all of this, I congratulate you. This is, like I said, my first oneshot that I've written about these two, but I love them together. Arigatou~ Drop a review?<strong>

**-that one girl addicted to bananas and opium~**


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